Former Grand Mufti of the Arab Republic of Egypt

Sheikh Ali Goma’a is the former Grand Mufti of the Arab Republic of Egypt. He is one of the foremost Islamic scholars in the world. Despite retiring from the post of Grand Mufti of Egypt, Goma’a has remained active on many fronts and his counsel is more in demand than ever before.

Egypt’s Weight in Islamic Scholarship: Goma’a’s scholarly influence is derived from his position at the centre of many of the most significant institutions of Islamic law in the world. Before becoming Grand Mufti, Goma’a was a professor of jurisprudence at Al-Azhar University–the second oldest university in the world, founded in 975 CE–Goma’a also served as a member of the Fatwa Council. He is currently a member of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, the highest institute of Islamic law in the Organization of the Islamic Conference–an intergovernmental organization for Muslim-majority countries. Goma’a has authored over 50 books, as well as hundreds of articles.

Visit to the Holy Al-Aqsa Mosque Controversy: On April 18th, 2012, Sheikh Ali Goma’a, with HRH Prince Ghazi of Jordan, broke what had been a 45 year taboo in some parts of the Islamic World (propagated notably by Qatar based Sheikh Al-Qaradawi) and visited the Al-Aqsa Mosque in order to pray there and support the beleaguered Muslim community in Jerusalem. The visit was viewed as controversial in Egypt, but set off a change of public opinion in the Islamic World that continues to this day. The Grand Mufti also visited the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which was much appreciated by the Christian community of Jerusalem.

Personal Popularity: Goma’a was exceedingly popular as a mufti and remains ever popular since his retirement. Apart from appearing on popular broadcast and satellite television, he also revived the practice of informal ‘knowledge circles’ at the Al-Azhar Mosque, and the very well attended Q&A sessions after his Friday sermons at the Sultan Hasan Mosque, where Goma’a makes a point of taking on anyone who tries to simplify or distort Islamic teachings without knowledge of its traditions. This has made him extremely popular with those who are against extremism, as well as also making him a target for the extremists. He recently escaped an assassination attempt on his life outside a mosque in Cairo.

Popularized and Simplified Fatwas: Goma’a has immense legal influence through his advocacy of Islamic religious edicts (fatwas). When he was Grand Mufti of Egypt, he modernized the process of issuing fatwas in the country. He did this by overhauling the Dar Al-Ifta organization into a dynamic institution with worldwide reach, based on a fatwa council and a system of checks and balances.

10The number of years he was grand mufti of Egypt.

30,000 The number of books in his personal library which is sought out by students and researchers from around the world in need of rare texts.

In late September, four students were expelled from Cairo University for "assaulting" former Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa, who was on campus for a thesis presentation. Chaos broke out as pro-Morsi students shouted insults and expletives at the cleric, and ...and more »

The students demanded the release of their colleagues who were detained for assaulting former Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa. Army and police troops were deployed to the square with two armored vehicles at the entrance and four at the exit. Meanwhile, scores of ...and more »

In late September, four students were expelled from Cairo University for "assaulting" former Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa, who was on campus for a thesis presentation. Chaos broke out as pro-Morsi students shouted insults and expletives at the cleric, and ...and more »

The biggest scandalous incident, showed former Mufti Ali Gomaa talking to a host of security officials, including the defense and interior ministers, enticing them to confront " without mercy", the forces challenging the so called June 30 revolution ...and more »

In addition, the Primary Disciplinary Council of Cairo University issued several “disciplinary” edicts as punishment for attacking former Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa. The punishments included suspending four students for a year and preventing several other ...

Ali Gomaa, the Grand Mufti of Egypt, will use the book to train imams to encourage relationship-building between Muslims and Christians. Shenk and his wife, Grace, will speak at EMM's mission vision banquet Nov. 1 at the Lancaster County Convention ...and more »

She also points out that, rather than Pakistan applauding one of their own receiving this honor, rioters prevented Professor Salam from reenter- ing Pakistan. Why? Because he was an Ahmadi Muslim. If Manji had inquired further about .... Manji ...

This is not just an attack on Copts, this is an attack on me and you and all Egyptians, on Egypt and its history and its symbols, by terrorists who know no God, no patriotism, and no humanity. « View more quotes

10The number of years he was grand mufti of Egypt.

30,000 The number of books in his personal library which is sought out by students and researchers from around the world in need of rare texts.